Stalker
by Ron4
Summary: Summer is being stalked, and looks to Marissa, Ryan, and Seth for help. [Rating may change to PG13 depending on how far I go with this.]
1. One

Stalker

Chapter One

            Summer Roberts muttered grumpily as she walked.  Her car had broken down the previous morning, and neither her father nor her stepmother was home to take her to school.  She was much too late to be picked up by the bus; Summer believed in being fashionably late to many things, and school was one of them.  So she had woken up after the bus had already went by her place.

            She had called Marissa, Luke, and even Seth (which she was really weary of doing) to come give her a ride, but none of them had answered their house or cell phones.  So she was stuck walking to Pacific Heights Private School.  Luckily, the school wasn't a lengthy distance from the Roberts' home, and it would only take her about fifteen minutes to get there.

            She bit her lip as she crossed a street.  This wasn't the best neighborhood in Newport, but it was the only way she could go to get to PHPS on time.  It was still early in the morning, and the sun was barely rising.  Even though the summer had barely ended, it was chilly, and she folded her arms.

            Undoubtedly somewhat spooked by her whereabouts, Summer picked up her pace.  The only sounds were the shuffling of her feet and the _clap clap clap _of her small bag connecting with her back.  Summer noted these sounds, and her heart thudded faster when she heard more than the noises caused by her.

            She could swear that she heard another set of feet walking behind her.  _Clapclap.  _It was a similar sound to that of her backpack, but it was faster.  The sound would go _clapclap_, and then there would be a pause, followed by another _clapclap_.__

            Summer's heart was pounding out of her chest.  She walked faster, and tried to peek from the corner of her eye, hoping to see who was following her.  She didn't see anyone.  Suddenly, she snapped around, trying to surprise the person.

            There was nobody there.  That made it scarier.  Slowly and cautiously, she turned around, and speed-walked – anything to get out of this area.  Even walking that fast, she heard the rapid thuds again.  _Clapclap clapclap clapclap_.

            Summer ran all the way to Pacific Heights, not chancing another look behind her.  There was someone following her.  She knew it wasn't just her imagination.  Summer Roberts was afraid that someone had been stalking her.

*          *          *

            Summer barely made it to school; the first bell rang just as she was stepping up the concrete front steps.  She checked her schedule that she had gotten in the mail, and hurried to room 406.  History.  How boring.

            She just made into the class as the final bell rang, and sat down in the nearest available seat.  She scanned the room for anyone she knew.  Marissa had Chemistry this hour, she knew, as they had compared schedules two days before.  She knew most of the people, of course, but the only ones she was a good friend with were Holly and Ryan (who she had almost forgotten had started this year).

            The teacher then took attendance and rearranged the students according to her seating chart.  Summer was seated considerably closer to Ryan.  She wanted to tell someone about her "stalker," but she was sure that Ryan wasn't the right person to tell.  Marissa, maybe, but not Ryan.

            But it was killing her.  And it was scary, too.  She would have fallen asleep in that class if it hadn't been for the fact that she couldn't get the occurrence off her mind.  She kept hearing the _clapclap clapclap clapclap _over in her mind.  She shuddered.  Hopefully she'd be able to forget about it by that night.  She wanted to be able to sleep.

            She was paranoid, too.  Her eyes shifted from person to person in the class.  Most everyone was focused on the teacher, though some were half asleep, drooling on their desks.  None of them looked suspicious; none of them were looking at her or acting nervous towards her.  For some reason, she knew that she wouldn't be able to be comfortable around these people until she found out what had happened that morning.  She wouldn't be able to talk to them without mentally questioning their motives.  No, this incidence was going to haunt her for a while. 

            And she'd definitely make sure Marissa could give her a ride the next day.


	2. Two

Stalker

Chapter Two

            Summer happily jumped into Marissa's car.  No more walking.  She was still creeped out about the whole incident from the day before.  She hadn't told anyone, though – at least, not yet.  As a child, Summer was known to have an active imagination, and sometimes she still caught her mind wandering.  This could be just one of those times.  Come to think of it, she had just recently seen a movie about a stalking secret admirer; she was probably just letting that get to her.

            She flashed Marissa an unusually warm smile as she fastened her seatbelt.  A grin formed on her face as Marissa pulled into the street towards Pacific Heights.  There was no need to feel anxious – it was silly.  Remember, Summer, it's just your mind playing tricks on you.  There was no one following you.

            Marissa watched her out of the corner of her eye, curious at the brightness that was Summer.  Summer was usually snarky and blunt, and it was a rarity to witness her with a smile on her face without having an obvious reason for so.

            "Hey, Sum, I'm gonna get some gum," she said as she pulled into the parking lot of a gas station.  "Want anything?"

            "No, I'm good," Summer replied.  Still cheery.  Weird.

            Marissa shrugged it off and hurried into the small convenience store.  Summer turned on the radio; Marissa had left the keys in the ignition.  She turned the tune down so it was just a low, soothing background.  Outside the open window, the wind blew and brought forth a cooling breeze.

            Summer closed her eyes.  This was one of those relaxing summer moments.  Perfection.  She heard footsteps and opened her eyes.  Coop surely couldn't be back already; it was less than twenty seconds ago that she had exited the car.  It wasn't Marissa.  In fact, there didn't seem to be anyone else around.

            _Clapclap._

_            No._  No, this couldn't be.  It wasn't right.  No, no, no.  She was hearing things.

            _Clapclap.  Clapclap._

Summer's heart caught in her chest.  Where was it coming from?  Her eyes, which had been warm and intense this morning, became cold and steely as they darted back and forth across the parking lot.  They shifted to the passenger-side mirror.  Into the store windows.  Nothing.  Nobody there.  Just your imagination, Summer.  Slow it down; breathe.

            Wait!  A shadow.  There, in the rearview mirror.  There had been a shadow there – a shadow of someone walking away.  The person had rounded a corner before Summer had a chance to see who it was, or even what they were wearing.

*          *          *

            Marissa frowned.  Since she had arrived back in the car, Summer's blitheness had been replaced by a stern look upon her face; arms crossed and scared eyes.

            She didn't dare say anything.  She could've sworn that Summer's time of the month had already passed, and there was no way she was going to ask her if indeed it _was_ her period causing the mood swing attitude.  If it was, she knew that Summer would chew her head off, and she just wasn't in the mood for that.  So she had simply greeted Summer with a curt nod and resumed the trip to the school.

            When they finally got there, Summer didn't look any happier.  It looked like she was trying not to cry, actually.  She went from carefree to frightened to being on the verge of tears.

            Awkwardly, Marissa offered her a piece of gum.  Summer ignored the offering and exited the vehicle.  She walked away without another word to Marissa.

*          *          *

            Marissa felt a jab in her shoulder.  She turned around.  Seth was handing her a piece of folded paper.  She took it curiously and faced forward.  She glanced up to make sure the teacher wasn't paying attention, and unfolded the note.

**_Marissa,_******

**What's going on with Summer?  She seems so… un-Summer.  I mean, I said "hi" to her, and she didn't even give me a dirty look.  She mumbled a greeting back, and that was that.  Is something going on that I should be concerned with?  Wait, who am I kidding? Like Summer really wants me meddling in her problems.  But seriously, if there is anything I should know… well, yeah, you know.**

**Seth**

            After reading the note, she glanced up again, and picked up her pen, scrawling her own message underneath.

**_Seth,_**

**_I really have no idea what's up with her.  She's been acting strange all day.  She was super happy this morning.  And Summer isn't a morning person…  I've never seen her that cheerful before noon. _**

            Almost as an afterthought, she scribbled

**_If I find anything out, I'll let you know._**

**_Always,_**

**_Marissa_**

            underneath the rest, refolded it, and passed it back to him.  He didn't hand it back to her, so she knew that he was okay with it.

            She just hoped that Summer was okay.

            But little did she know, that c_lapclap _was playing over and over in Summer's mind at that very moment – and Summer was anything _but_ okay.


End file.
